1. The Advocacy Capacity Tool: For Advocacy Evaluation
February 7, 2013
Sue Hoechstetter
American Evaluation Association Coffee Break

2. Advocacy Capacity Tool (ACT) for organizational assessment
Measures skills, knowledge, resources, practices
Electronic
Free
Self Assessment

3. Capacity & Advocacy Evaluation
Long term
External Controls
Many Partners
So………
Measure Capacity Built!

4. Who Uses ACT
Individual Organizations
Coalitions
Funders
Evaluators with all of above

5. ACT Helps Nonprofits & Coalitions:
Identify Gaps and Strengthen
Plan Advocacy Work
Choose Partners
Evaluation/Be Accountable
Understand Advocacy

6. ACT Helps Funders: Assess grantees’ growth Help choose new partners
Help support grantee capacity-building
Educate within foundation

7. Advocacy Capacity Tool: for organizational assessment
Advocacy Goals, Plans, & Strategies
Conducting Advocacy
Advocacy Avenues
Organizational Operations

8. I Advocacy Goals, Plans & Strategies
Preparation
Agenda
Plans, Strategies & Adaptability
II Conducting Advocacy
Research & Analysis
Field Operation
Advocacy Partners & Coalitions
Messaging
Media Relations
Influencing Decision Makers
III Organizational Operations to Sustain Advocacy
Organizational Commitment
Funding Advocacy
Decision-Making Structure & Process
Fiscal Management & Sustainability
IV Advocacy Avenues
Administrative
Legislative
Ballot Measures, Referenda & Initiatives
Electoral
Litigation

9. Advocacy Capacity Tool

10. Advocacy Capacity Tool

11. Advocacy Capacity Tool Results
Individual results
Custom aggregation
All user aggregation

12. Advocacy Capacity Tool Results

13. Advocacy Capacity Tool Results: Stengthening

14. Advocacy Capacity Tool Results: Aggregating

15. Sample User: Shawnee Regional Prevention and Recovery Services
Used ACT in cooperation with funder
ACT feedback helped…
provide better view of group’s advocacy activities
to create a more comprehensive plan
show the need for training on permissible grassroots advocacy
point out the need for an appropriate strategic plan for advocacy
acknowledge the advocacy already being done

16. ACT: Keep in Mind Capacity, Not Effectiveness Honesty Helps
No Organization Does It All

17. Follow-up Conference Calls for Completing Advocacy Capacity Tool (ACT)
Tuesday, February 12, 2 – 3pm ET
Tuesday, March 12, 2 – 3pm ET
For addition assistance, please write to us at:

18. Resources ACT www.bolderadvocacy.com/act Assistance with ACT
Evaluation
effective-advocacy/evaluating-advocacy

19. Community Organizing Capacity Assessment Tool (COCAT)
Look ahead for the…
Community Organizing Capacity Assessment Tool (COCAT)
Available Winter 2013/2014
International Advocacy Capacity Tool
Available Soon!

20. Melinda K. Lewis Capitol to Classroom Blog September 2012
“One of the things that I appreciate most about the new version of the AFJ assessment is that it includes an option for ‘relying on partners,’ when asking organizations about their abilities in specific areas.”
“There’s a lot to like about AFJ’s, especially this newer version, which has ‘advanced’ options for organizations whose advocacy is a bit more well-developed, and the ability to compare an organization’s assessment against an aggregate.”
“I know that it’s not easy to get Board members and other key stakeholders to sit down and fill out an assessment that takes minutes. But, really, if we can’t get that much buy-in around questions of how to position our organizations for advocacy, how can we get buy-in to take the steps that move us to where we want to be, in terms of advocacy?”

21. Comments from ACT Users
“This survey showed the concepts that we are lacking— like messaging. Thank you!”
“This survey shows us that adaptability is a strategy too, and that we score relatively low here”
“The Advocacy Capacity Tool is good for using with boards of directors to identify where the organization is strong and weak. It’s not just about my opinion as executive director, but about best practices.”
“Excellent! Got me thinking in new ways!”
“Very important for us to inventory our collected goals and resources. We need this kind of regular self- evaluation to make our service to our clients and the community better and better.”

22. WEST COAST Alliance For Justice
1611 Telegraph Avenue
Suite 1006
Oakland, CA 94612
EAST COAST Alliance for Justice 11 Dupont Circle, NW 2nd Floor Washington, DC
Free TA Line: @AFJBeBold